Reclosable display carton



April 17, 1962 R E. DE PAUL RECLOSABLE DISPLAY CARTON Filed Oct. 13, 1960 fur/6712 57":

hired rates This invention relates to Cartons and more particularly to cartons adapted to display the contents effectively and also to provide for ready reclos'ing of the carton after it has been opened and a part of the contents removed.

The carton of the present invention is particularly adapted for packaging multiple layers of relatively small, flat articles, such as sliced bacon or other sliced food products, hosiery, handkerchiefs, scarves and various small textile articles, where it is customary to pack a plurality of items in a packaged for removal singly or in small groups, making it desirable to reclose the package until more of the contents are needed.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a simple and convenient form of carton which may be delivered in fiat blank form to the packer, readily loaded and effectively sealed; and thereafter easily opened to remove a portion of the contentsand quickly reclosed to protect the remainder of the contents until desired for use.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a relatively shallow form of carton with marginal edge portions arranged to cover the contents partially, such marginal edge portions having secured thereto a flexible facing panel, preferably of transparent material, with provision for detaching the central part of the panel so that it may be lifted for ready access to the contents.

A still further object is to provide on one edge of the carton a readily detachable flap to which the margin of a flexible facing panel is secured, whereby the facing panel may be lifted easily for access to the contents and may be returned without difliculty to closed position and so allowed to remain until access to the contents is again desired.

Other and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings--- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton made in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale showing details of the arrangement of the facing panel with respect to the main body of the carton;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged scale sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the body portion of the carton is formed; and

FIG. 5 is a reduced scale, plan view of the facing panel.

As shown in FIG. 4, the carton may be for-med from a generally rectangular blankof folding paperboard, cut and scored to provide a main panel 5, which may be termed the bottom or back portion, with side or narrow panels 6, 7, 8 and 9 carried on the edges of panel 5. The panels 6, 7 and '8 are defined from panel Sby crease score lines 10, -11 and 12 to facilitate swinging the panels into position overlying the panel 5. The panel 9 is preferably formed with a weakened hinge line 13 which may be formed by a series of small, spaced cuts'or perforations.

A tab 14 may be formed centrally of the panel 9 by interrupting the line 13 and cutting the tab from within the contour of the panel 5. This tab is preferably rigid whereby it tends to remain in the plane of the panel 9. Thus, as the panel 9 is swung over panel 5, the tab 14 is brought to a position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in

. atent which the tab extends outwardly of the edge of such panel.

After placing the contents of the carton upon the main panel 5 the narrow panels will be folded inward Where they will be in overlapping relation to the margins of the contained material or articles. A facing sheet of flexible, preferably transparent material, indicated at 15, is then secured to the inturned narrow panels. This is preferably done by applying a narrow band of adhesive around the edges of the flexible panel. If desired, the adhesive may be applied along the hinged edges of the narrow panels.

The flexible panel is preferably formed with weakened lines 16, 16 along two opposite edges. This may be effected in any desired manner as by means of spaced cuts or perforations. As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the weakened lines are spaced sufiiciently from the edges of the sheets so that the edge portion of the sheet may be secured effectively and without likelihood that adhesive will spread beyond the adjacent weakened line.

The narrow panels 6 and 7 preferably have diagonal scores 6a, 6a and 7a, 7a extending across their outer corners to form portions which may be folded downward away from the plane of the midportion of the panels. This is particularly useful in the packaging of thin strips of bacon which are usually packed in partially overlapping arrangement With the result that twomarginal portions of the group of strips taper to a thin edge.

The outer corners of narrow panels 8 and 9 are preferably cut away along angular lines so that their end edges will be approximately in conformity with the respective score lines 6a and 7a when the narrow panels are folded upon the contents.

The ends of the narrow panel 9 are cut away as indicated at 9a, 9a so that the straight edges thus formed, extending generally parallel with the weakened lines 1'6 of the facing panel, will also be relatively close to such weakened lines when the facing panel has been applied to close the carton. As shown in FIGS. 1 and '2, a very narrow edge portion at the extremities of panel 9 preferably projects outwardly beyond the weakened lines 16,

16. This tends to secure the ends of panel 9 more firmly than would be the case if the ends of the panel were in exact registration with the weakened lines.

When it is desired to open the package it may be laid flat on a supporting surface and, while the central portion of the package is held against such surface by one hand of a person, the tab 14 is grasped by the fingers of the other hand and lifted to break away the edge of panel 9 from the mainpanel 5. The facing panel 15 will remain attached to the outer edge of panel 9 and, after the panel has been completely severed or broken away, it will be lifted and swung rearward. This will cause the central part of the facing panel 15 to be torn away from the outer edge portions along the weakened lines 16, 16.

With the central part of the flexible facing panel severed as described, the panel 9 may be laid over and allowed to rest on the supporting surface while the desired portion of the contents is removed. This, in the case of strips of bacon, would be a group of strips adjacent the severed edge 13 of main panel 15. The narrow panels 6 and 7 will ordinarily remain in folded-over position due to the fact that the ends of these panels adjacent panel 8 will be held in place by the undisturbed end portions of the glued facing panel outside the weakened lines 16, 16. However, if desired, the small areas of the facing panel ends, tending to hold the end portions of panels 6 and 7 in folded-over condition below the ends of panel 8, may be forcibly broken to release these three panels and permit them to be swung outward.

After removal of the desired quantity of the contents the panels 6 and 7, if previously folded outward, will be folded inward over the margins of the contents and the panel 8 will then be folded inward to overlie the ends of panels 6 and 7. The folding inward of panel 8 may, of course, be done in one operation with the return of the facing panel 15 to closed position. As the severed panel 9 will remain secured to the outer free edge of the facing panel it will simplify the handling of the facing panel. Such panel may therefore be formed from a very thin sheet which, without the paperboard panel 9 adhering to its edge, might tend to cling to the surface of contents such as a group of bacon strips and be somewhat difficult to return accurately to contents covering position.

It is apparent that the present invention provides a simple, easily prepared package in which the contents are completely enclosed and maintained in a sanitary condition. The package is easily opened for access and removal of a portion of the contents and can be simply and quickly reclosed to protect the remainder of the contents. By the expedient of extending the ends of the panel 9 slightly beyond the weakened lines 16, 1.6 such ends will be held against the underlying ends of the panels 6 and 7 by the glued end portions of the facing panel. The line of severance between the narrow panel 9 and main panel may thus be made very readily severable upon lifting the tab 14 and the narrow margin of adherence of the ends of panel 9 to the glued ends of the facing panel may be relied on to keep the panel 9 from being accidentally separated from panel 5 during handling of the packages. In lifting panel 9 after severance from panel 5 it takes only a small amount of force to remove the ends of panel 9 from the glued edges of the facing panel.

While the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, various changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A shallow display carton formed from 'foldable paperboard comprising a rectangular bottom panel, narrow panels hinged along the four edges of the bottom panel and folded inward to overlie such panel with the narrow panels being disposed substantially in a common plane parallel to and spaced a slight distance above the plane of the bottom panel, a flexible facing panel overlying the bottom panel and the infolded narrow panels, such facing panel having its edge portions secured along the hinged, outer edges of the infolded panels, the facing panel being formed with weakened tear lines extending generally parallel to two opposite carton edges and disposed inwardly of the secured edge portions of the facing panel, one of the narrow panels extending transversely to such weakened lines being weakened and readily severable along its hinged, outer edge from the bottom panel, whereby the severable narrow panel may be employed, after severance, to support the attached edge of the facing panel to enable the central portion of the facing panel to be severed from the edge portions along the weakened lines and swung upward to give access to the interior of the carton.

2. A shallow display carton formed from foldable paperboard comprising a rectangular bottom panel, um-

row panels hinged along two opposite edges of the bottom panel and folded inward to overlie such panel, additional narrow panels hinged along the remaining opposite edges of the bottom panel, such additional panels being fold-ed inward to overlie the bottom panel with the end portions of such narrow panels also overlying end portions of the first mentioned narrow panels and with said narrow panels being disposed substantially in a common plane parallel to and spaced a slight distance above the plane of the bottom panel, a flexible facing panel overlying the bottom panel and the infolded narrow panels, such facing panel having its edge portions secured along the hinged, outer edges of the infolded panels, the facing panel being formed with weakened, tear lines extending along the first mentioned narrow panels and generally parallel to the carton edges, such weakened lines being disposed inwardly of the secured edge portions of the facing panel, one of the narrow panels extending transversely to such weakened lines being weakened and readily severable along its hinged outer edge from the bottom panel, whereby the severable narrow panel may be employed, after severance, to support the attached edge of the facing panel to enable the central portion of the facing panel to be severed from the edge portions along the weakened lines and swung upward to give access to the interior of the carton.

3. A display carton as defined in claim 1, in which the two edge portions of the facing panel are secured by adhesive to the narrow panels, and the opposite ends of the narrow, severable panel extend outwardly a short distance beyond the weakened lines in the facing panel and are adhesively secured to the edge portions of the facing panel outside such weakened lines.

4. A shallow display carton formed from foldable paerboard comprising a quadrilateral bottom panel, side panels hinged along the four edges of the bottom panel and folded inward to overlie such panel with the narrow panels being disposed substantially in a common plane parallel to and spaced a slight distance above the plane of the bottom panel, a flexible facing panel overlying the bottom panel and the infolded side panels, such facing panel having its edge portions secured along the hinged, outer edges of the infolded panels, the facing panel being formed with weakened tear lines extending generally parallel to two opposite carton edges and disposed inwardly of the secured edge portions of'the facing panel, one of the side panels extending transversely to such weakened lines being weakened and readily severable along its hinged, outer edge from the bottom panel, whereby the severable side panel may be employed, after severance, to support the attached edge of the facing panel to enable the central portion of the facing panel to be severed from the edge portions along the weakened lines and swung upward to give access to the interior of the carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,076,018 Ferguson Apr. 6, 1937 2,104,195 Groeling Jan. 4, 1938 2,808,192 Raisin Oct. 1, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,095,819 France Dec. 29, 1954 799,792 Great Britain Aug. 13, 1958 

